By Kathleen Odean; 439 pages. Subtitle: More than 750 Recommended Books for Children 3 to 14
Picking a book on a subject your child is interested in -- even if it's nonfiction, a picture book, a movie tie-in, a magazine -- is one of the great keys to motivating reluctant readers. If you're reluctant to read another education book, rest easy knowing that you don't have to go through this entire volume to get some use from it. Just pick a topic your child likes, pick a title that fits, and go.
- Great ideas for getting kids interested in reading
- Titles sorted by subject and then by age level
- Includes nonfiction along with fiction
- Articles give quick look at techniques to help kids read more
- Index lists books by title and by author
- Your child's particular interest may not be here
- Not a huge amount of titles for any one category
- Lists like these tend to be outdated as soon as they're made
- Giving a variety of books and ages for each topic means there's only one or two of each type
- Some kids will refuse to read no matter how much you try to lure them
- Animals, Animals, Animals
- Arts and Crafts
- Folklore and Fantasy
- History and Adventure
- Games, Puzzles, Hobbies, and Holidays
- Science, Math, and Technology
- Sports for Everyone
- Transportation and Engineering
- Children's Magazines
A Basic Reference Shelf for Home
Encouraging Your Child to Read - More Resources and Tips for Parents
Author Index
Title Index
Subject Index
There are good articles here on helping children to read. You'll find sound advice on finding good reference books, reading aloud with your child, having book theme parties and field trips, even helping your child write her own book. It's like a mini-primer on getting children hooked on reading. Valuable, easy-to-read stuff -- and you should feel free to skip it entirely.
The beauty of this book is that you can use it as nothing more than a reference for finding great titles to try with your child. Instead of spending hours in front of bookshelves and library racks wondering what might appeal, you can find a topic your child is interested in, browse through fiction and non-fiction selections for different age ranges, check the summaries for additional information, pick something that will suit, and put "Great Books" away until the next time. Whether your child needs something for a book report, a reading project, nightly reading assignments, or pure enjoyment, these suggestions will point you in the right direction.
If you've got a little more time, browsing through the different catagories may introduce you to authors and subjects you'd never considered for your little one. And if you have more time still, do read those back-matter articles; you won't be sorry. But if you have trouble finding more than 15 minutes at a time to devote to reading, this "dip in and get it" volume may be the perfect parenting book for you.
